Wedding budgets are set to decrease going into 2018

An online local services marketplace has released research on how wedding trends have changed in the last decade.

Surveying more than 2,000 of its photography, catering and entertainment wedding service providers, the marketplace has discovered that over the last ten years weddings have been getting more extravagant and expensive year on year, however Brexit is anticipated to cause couples to spend less on their big day.

The survey revealed that since 2007 weddings have become more expensive year on year, with couples opting for more extravagant features, which has resulted in the average UK wedding costing £26,989 in 2017.

www.bidvine.com's wedding photographers revealed that couples are opting for more of a documentary style of photography rather than staged photoshoots. This is more time consuming and requires the photographer to immerse themselves in the all-day event, which has contributed to an increase of 25% since 2007, from £1,200 on average to £1,600.

Their catering service providers revealed that most venues now stipulate that couples must use their catering instead of providing their own, which increases the price as couples aren't able to shop around for the best deals.

Fine dining has also gained popularity over the last decade, with couples opting for a more traditional dining experience, compared to the once popular buffet setup. Three-course sit down meals increase the price significantly, with wedding catering costing on average £4,747 in 2017, more than £1,000 more expensive than in 2007.

Music entertainment in 2007 consisted mainly of DJs, however according to the site's wedding entertainment providers, couples have been choosing the more expensive option of hiring a wedding band in recent years. This has doubled the average price couples spend on music entertainment from £350 in 2007 to £773 today. T

he providers also revealed there's an increasing trend of couples making their own playlists in a bid to save money. www.bidvine.com also asked its wedding service providers what general wedding trends they have seen emerge since 2007. The site's research found there's been an increase in popularity in autumnal weddings, videography packages and barn venues, and a decrease in demand for novelty cakes such as cupcake towers and town hall and country club weddings.

Although the prices have increased over the last 10 years, two thirds (65%) of the wedding service providers revealed they predict couples will be more cautious with their wedding budgets due to the uncertainty of the economy moving forward after Brexit, and have already seen a drop in the amount of money couples are willing to spend in the last few months.

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